John Flatley

Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there is in silence

Cache Creek –> Hixon (318 miles)

I had hoped that the mountain hills east of me would block the sun from waking me up too early, but I hadn’t considered the horses naying at 7:30am. I felt gross from the sweating all day, but luckily the ranch had hot showers. After getting my campsite and bike packed, I went up to the ranch house and grabbed a hearty breakfast while a bus of tourists filed in and took pictures with a guy dressed as a blacksmith.

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There is no accumulation of strength without making choices that stretch you

Vancouver –> Cache Creek (207 Miles)

I was in no hurry to leave early after being delayed four days. I thought I may be a little rusty riding my bike after the accident, but I felt just as confident as before. I headed up to Whistler and took the Sea to Sky Highway. The ride was beautiful.

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I headed to the Harley Dealer in the morning to find out more about what needed to get done on my bike before it was ridable. The front rim was dented and it was going to be another day before they can get the parts. The guys at this Harley dealer were the best. I generally get really bad service in the bay area. They were really going out of their way to find parts as fast they could and get me back on the road as fast as possible.

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Seattle –> Vancouver (142 Miles)

I had planned to make it pretty far into British Columbia but my trip got put on hold after a hit and run. I was about to get back onto the highway after getting gas when traffic came to an abrupt stop. I slammed on my brakes, my bike started to fish tail, but my instincts from dirt bike racing came into effect. I was able to keep my bike upright and stopped a few feet from the car in front of me. I thought I was in the clear until I hear screeching tires behind me and the next thing I knew I was on the ground.

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The idea is that flowing water never goes stale, so just keep on flowing.

Portland –> Seattle (283 Miles)

My ride to Seattle was almost as miserable as the one to Portland. I wanted to avoid any blue shield highways because the point of this trip is to make it as scenic as possible. Instead of taking I5 to Seattle, I crossed through Clatsop State Forest and rode up along the coast.

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When our identity expands to include everything, we find a peace with the dance of the world.

Crater Lake, OR –> Portland, OR (270 miles)

My ride from Crater Lake to Portland wasn’t too eventful or enjoyable. It started off with a slight scare that I may run out of gas. There’s a gas station at Crater Lake, but the processing system was down and they were taking cash only. I went to three different ATMs before I finally found one that would dispense money.

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Those who loved you and were helped by you, will remember you. So Carve your name on hearts and not on marble.

Fort Bragg, CA –> Crater Lake, OR (396 Miles)

The night before, Todd and Linda told me I needed to check out Glass Beach. It was originally a dump for Fort Bragg where broken glass from bottles had been turned into sea glass after years of erosion.

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Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned, but the second mouse, he struggled so hard that he eventually churned that cream into butter and he walked out.

San Francisco, CA –> Fort Bragg, CA (184 Miles) <– Click for map

After a few weeks I finally have my bike back and it’s time to head out on my solo road trip. This is the part of my trip that I’m most excited for because I think this is when I’ll grow and learn the most about myself. I have hours to talk to myself in my helmet while I bask in the glory of the U.S. landscape.

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